Gates are commonly used to provide a moveable barrier to close an opening in a wall or a fence. Gates allow access to an enclosed area to authorised persons and can be used (for example) to secure vehicles, property or livestock.
In instances where a gate closes a vehicle entrance, a vehicle operator must normally leave their vehicle to open the gate, return to their vehicle to move it though the opening formed, return to the gate to close it and then continue on their way in their vehicle. This can become an annoying chore for the vehicle operator particularly when they must pass through several gates on their journey or frequently need to pass through the same gate.
It would therefore be of advantage to have a gate opening system which could be operated or actuated from within or on a vehicle and which could also preferably close the gate after the vehicle has moved past the gate.
Some relatively complicated gate or door opening systems have been developed to address this requirement. For example, it is know to provide a gate or (for example) a garage door linked to an electro-mechanical actuation system which drives a gate or door open or closed upon receipt of a radio frequency transmission, or the entry of a control code into a key pad. However, these systems are normally only found in urban settings where gate opening systems can readily be connected to mains power electrical energy. Furthermore, the electro mechanical systems employed are also relatively complicated and costly to implement and to maintain over time.
This type of approach is also not practical in rural applications. For example, a single farm may include a number of gates, all of which are scattered throughout remote locations on a property. To obtain free access to all areas of the property a vehicle operator may have to pass through several gates to arrive at their destination. In such instances the locations of the gates limits the availability of power sources for a gate opening system. In these cases it is not feasible to run power transmission lines out to a gate opener, nor to provide a high demand power supply battery based storage system which would need to be replaced or recharged frequently.
It would be of advantage to have a gate opening system which required for gate movement between the closed and opened conditions, and vice versa, no external power supply nor relied on a power supply which needed to be recharged or refreshed periodically. Furthermore, a gate opening system with a relatively simple mechanical design which could therefore be manufactured and maintained easily and inexpensively would be of advantage.